Loose leaf binder



7 1933' J. COOPER LoosE LEAF BINDER Nov.

, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed June 17 `l d /N YE/v Tora Jaynes (loq/oer /qrra` NEYs NOV- 7, 1933. .1. COOPER LOGS E LEAF BINDER Filed June 17, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i Y N mw ron james Wagner' URNEYS Patented Nov. 7, 1933 n PATENT OFFICE LoosE LEAF BINDER James Cooper, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to Hall' & McChesney,fSyracuse, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 17, 1932. Serial No. 617,739

10 Claims.

This invention relates to a loose-leaf `binder involving the use of a leaf-supporting unit, a back-unit and opposite cover units hinged to the other units by releasable means which also serves to lock the several units to each other..

These loose leaf binders are extensively usedl leaf binders and particularly those of large size which are frequently used and in which the surface layers of the covers extend continuously across the back, the flexing portions at the junctions of the covers and back are the first to disintegrate or otherwise become impaired.

The main object of the present invention is to make the surface layers of the cover units of a loose leaf binder separate from and unattached to the surface layer of the back unit and to extend the surface layers of the cover units loosely between the contiguous portions of the cover units and back unit so as to present theappearance of continuity of said surface layers and at the saine time allow the extensions to slide freely across the inner face of the back unit as the covers are opened and closed to avoid sharp buckling of each surface layer of the cover at its junction with the extension and thereby to greatly prolong the life of the binder.

Another objectzis to provide spring connections between the inner ends of the extensions to take up any slack therein and incidentally to facilitate the opening of the covers about the axes of their respective hinge pintles.

In other words, I have sought to provide a loose leaf binder in which the covers may be opened and closed with greater ease and with less ,strain and wear upon the surface layers of the cover and back units than has heretofore been practiced.

, Other objects and uses will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawingsz- Figure 1 is a perspective view on a reduced scale of a loose leaf binder embodying the various features of my invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged inner face view of the same loose leaf binder opened and having its cover partly broken away to show morev clearly the leaf-supporting unit.

Figure 3 is an Yenlarged transverse sectional view taken on line 3 3, Figure 1, the outer portions of the cover units being broken away, the opposite ends of the locking rod being shown in elevattion as seated in the apertures in the adjacent tube and slide bar. v

Figure 4 is an enlarged inner face View of the cover and back units showing more particularly the hinge connections between said units andthe extension flaps of the cover units together with the springs for taking up the slack in the fdaps,V portions of the cover units being broken awayr and the leaf supporting frame being removed, see line 4 4, Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an inner face view of the detached back unit showing the manner of fastening the surface layer to the inner face thereof and also showing the adjacent hinge sections to which vthe cover units are hingedly connected.

Figure 6 is a perspective View, partlybroken away, of the detached guard plate.

This loose-leaf binder comprises a back unit 1, opposite cover units 2 and a leaf-supporting unit 3, said-units being hingedly connected to;each other by releasable means such as pintles 4, shown more clearly in Figures 3 and 4.

The back piece or unit 1 preferably comprises a relatively stiff core 5 of wood, bre or any other suitable material which is concave-convex inA cross section and arranged with its concave side facing inwardly, said back piece being also `provided with an outer surface layer 6 of leather or other strong and durable flexible material, having its longitudinal edges and ends overturned upon the corresponding upper edges of the core 5 and adhesively or otherwise secured thereto in any well-known manner, as shown more clearly in Figure 5. l

The back piece 1 is also provided with a plurality of, in this instance three, metal reinforcing bands or hinge sections '7 arranged in longitudinally spaced parallel relation across and upon the inner concave face of the core 5 and rigidly secured thereto by rivets 8 or equivalent fastening means.

The outer ends of the transverse bands 7 are deflected inwardly and arranged in spaced overlying relation to the opposite longitudinal edges 105 of said core andare provided with eyes 9 for receiving the pintles 4 in a manner hereinafter described.'

The cover units 2 are arranged above and along the opposite longitudinal edges ofthe back unit 110 1 and are provided with relatively stiff core meinbers 10 and outer surface layers 11 of leather or other strong and durable material preferably corresponding to the outer surface layer 6 of the back piece 1.

The surface layers 11 for the covers 10 are adhesively or otherwise secured to the outer surface of the cores 10 and are provided at their lower edges with extension flaps 12 having their free edges projecting inwardly above the corresponding edges of the back unit 1.

That is, the outer surface layers 11 of the cover units 10 are made separately from theV outer surface layer 6 of the back unit 1 to'permit the covers to be opened and closed withoutstraining or buckling the extension iiaps 12 which are free to slide transversely across and upon the upper faces of the opposite edges of the back unit 1 during said opening and closing movement of the covers.

The back unit 1 is preferably of laminated construction in that it is composed of the inner core 5 enclosed in a fabric envelope 5 adhesively secured thereto and the outer surface layer 6 of leather or other suitable material, it being understood that the metal hingesections 7 are relatively narrow and permanently secured to the corefby the rivets 8 to form a part of the back unit.

The cover units 2 are also of laminated construction in that each unit is composed of a corek 10 of rigid material having an inner layer 10 and the outer surface layer 11 of leather or other suitable material, the inner lining of each cover unit being secured to the core by rivets l0 or equivalent fastening means shown in Figure 3.

The cover units 2 are provided with sheet metal hinge sections 13 secured thereto by the rivets 10 between the coresA 10 and inner linings 10 and are preferably of about the same length as their respective cores, the lower inner edges of the hinge sections being extended beyond the corresponding edges of their respective cores `across the outer edges of the leaf-supporting unit 3, as shown more clearly in Figure'S, said lower inner edges of the hinge plates being provided with eyes 13' arranged in longitudinally spaced relation for lengthwise alinement with the eyes 9 of the hinge sections 7 of the back unit 1 when the covers are assembled upon said back unitfor receiving the pintles 4, as shown more clearly in Figure 4.

It will be noted upon reference to Figure 3 that the extensions l2 of the cover layers l1 project some distance beyond the lower edges of their respective core members 10 and across the outer edges of the leaf-supporting unit 3 and eyes 9 of the back plate 7 and thence inwardly across the upper surface of the outer edges of the back unit 1, the inner edges of the flaps being connected by coil springs 14 which serve to take up any slack in the flaps and to keep the latter in approximately the same horizontal plane, said springs also serving to facilitate the opening of the covers, see Figures 3 and 4.

A guard plate 15 similar to that shown in the patent to D. S. McChesney, No. 1,689,401, October 30th, 1928, is extended across the upper concave side of the back unit l and is provided along its opposite longitudinal edges with suitable eyes '70 15 for receiving the adjacent pintles 4 which serve to lock the guard'plate 15 to the hinge plates 7 of the back unit 1, see Figure 6.

The purpose of the guard plate 15 is to conceal and protect the coil springs 14 within the chamber between said guard plate and back unit 1, said guard plate being extended the full length of the back unit and is provided at its opposite ends with convexed bosses 16 and 16 which conform to the concave contour of the inner face of the back unit 1 to close the ends of said chamber.

The leaf-supporting unit 3 is quite similar to that set forth in the patent previously referred to in that it comprises a pair of tubes 17 extending along opposite sides of the guard plate 15 just above the pintles 4 and are provided with pendant eyes 17 adapted to engage said pintles to permit the tubes to be rocked about the axis thereof when the cover units are opened.

The inner walls of these tubes 17 are provided with openings for receiving a plurality of, in this instance ve, locking rods 18 similar to those shown and described in the patent referred to and adapted to be passed through registering openings in the sheets to be bound for holding the sheets upon the rods between the cover units 2, as shown more clearly in Figure 3.

The opposite ends of the rods 18 are extended into their respective tubes 17 and are provided with sockets adapted to receive portions of a pair of locking members 19 which are slidable in their respective tubes into and out of engagement with the corresponding ends of the rods 18 in a manner similar to that shown in the patent.

In other words, the slides 19 constitute releasable means for locking the ends of the rods 18 in their respective tubes so that when the slides are released or withdrawn endwise from their locking positions, the tubes `17 may be rocked laterally about theirv respective pintles 4 to Withdraw them from the ends of the rods 18, thus permitting said rods with the sheets thereon to be displaced from the remaining portions of the binder. I

It is also evident that either slide 19 may be disengaged from the corresponding ends of the rods 18 to allow the adjacent tube 17 to be withdrawn from engagement with said rods, thus permittingthe rods and the remaining tube 17 to be rocked upward and laterally about the axis of the pintle 4 when it is desired to remove or replace any one of the sheets.

It is now clear that the sheets to be bound may be carried by the rods '18 and that the displacement of either of the slides 19 from its locking position will allow the rods 18 and sheets thereon to be turned about the axis of the opposite pintle without displacing any of the other parts of the binder.

It will also be observed that when the variousk parts of the binder are assembled in the manner shown and described, the cover units 2 may be rocked about their respective pintles 4 independently of the leaf -supporting unit 3, back unit 1 and guard plate 15 and that during the lateral rocking movement ofveither of the cover lunits the extension flaps 12 will simply slide back and forth across or against the lower faces of the opposite sides of the back bands 7 without placing any strains upon the flaps which are free to -yield in case they should engage said bands when opening the covers. I Y y These extension flaps 12, therefore, serve to close the joints between the cover units land back unit and give the appearance of continuity of the outer surface layers of both the back unit and cover units without being actually connected -to each other by reason of the fact that the extension aps lie in close proximity to the inner faces of the opposite sides ofthe surface layer of the back unit 1, it being understood. that the portions of the inner edges of the extension flaps registering with the hinge sectionsv I will be eut away at 20 to enable the extension flaps to slide freely across the undersidesv of the upwardly offset extensions of said hinge sections without liability of buckling the flaps.

The fact that the outer surface layers l1 of the cover units and outer surface layer of the back unit are unattached to each other and that the extension iiaps 12 are free to slide outwardly and inwardly as the covers are folded and unfolded relieves the contiguous portions of said surface layers from excessive strains and wear common to other types of binders, thereby greatly prolonging the life of the binder forming the subject mattei' of the present invention.

Another important advantage in making the outer surface layers of the cover units and back unit separately from each other is that those layers may be cut from smaller hides or from relatively small pieces of leather, thus greatly reducing the waste and enabling the entire binder to be constructed and sold for a much lower price than has heretofore been possible.

What I claim is:

1. In a leaf-binder, a back-unit, and a laminated cover-unit hinged to the back-unit and having its outer layer extended between the hinge-joint and back-unit and unattached to said back-unit.

2. In a leaf-binder, a back-unit, and separate laminated cover-units hinged to the back-unit and having their outer layers provided with ex-V tension-flaps projecting inwardlyl toward each other between their respective hinge-joints and the back-unit and unattached to said back-unit.

3. In a leaf-binder, a back-unit, and a coverunit hinged to the back-unit and provided with an outer surface-layer having a flexible extension-flap projecting inwardly between the hingejoint and the back-unit and unattached to said back-unit.

4. In a leaf-binder, a back-unit, and separate cover-units hinged to the back-unit and provided with outer surface-layers of leather having extension iaps, each flap projecting inwardly between the corresponding hinge-joint and back-unit and unattached to said back-unit.

5. In a leaf-binder', a back-unit, and separate cover-units hinged to the back-unit and provided with extension-flaps projecting inwardly toward each other beyond their respective hinge-joints and above the back-unit and unattached to said back-unit, and means for holding the free edges of the aps in approximately the same plane.

6. In a leaf-binder, a back-unit, and separate cover-units hinged to the back-unit and provided with extension-naps projecting inwardly toward each other beyond their respective hinge-joints and above the back-unit and unattached to said back-unit, and spring means for urging the free edges of the flaps toward each other.

'7. In a loose-leaf binder, a back-unit, a leafsupporting unit and a cover unit both hinged to the back unit, and means for hinging said units to each other, said cover unit having an extension nap projecting inwardly between the other units and unattached to the back unit.

8. In a leaf binder, the combination of a back unit, a hinge member secured to the back unit to extend transversely thereof and having its outer end in spaced relation thereto, and a laminated cover unit hinged to said member and having its outermost layer extended into said space and unattached to the back unit.

9. In a leaf binder, in combination, a laminated back unit having an outermost finishing layer, and a laminated cover unit hinged to the back unit to form an intervening space between the hinge joint and adjacent portion of the back unit, said cover unit having an outermost nishing layer extended across the outer face of the hinge joint and into said space.

10. In a leaf binder, a back unit, hinge members secured to the back unit and having their outer ends offset inwardly in spaced relation to adjacent edges of the back unit, opposite laminated cover units pivoted to adjacent hinge members and having their outermost layers extended across the outer faces of the corresponding hinge joints and into the adjacent spaces between the outer ends of said members and back unit, and

spring means for drawing the extensions inwardly toward each other.

JAMES COOPER. 

